The airline layer cake—economy, Business, First—has been around for so long that it now seems only natural, just the way things are, almost God-given. It’s the gold, silver, and bronze of air travel, and come to think of it, anyone who flies economy regularly ought to get a medal, maybe even a precious-metal medal. Once upon a time, this caste system actually denoted another triad: good, better, best. Coach meant a decent, if basic, flight, but certainly not the dungeon with wings that it is today. First Class meant an unsurpassed, primo, nonpareil experience.

But now we live in an era of lexical leniency and lassitude, when words come with wiggle-room and definitions have had their sharp edges rounded through constant spin. “Economy” has such a bad ring that British Airways calls it “World Traveler.” There has been a spawn of sub-castes, like BusinessFirst and Premium Economy, making them a kind of airline gene-spliced offspring that gives you one dominant characteristic of each parent—a saddle for a seat but lots of leg room—or a hint of one parent (First) but the character of the other (Business). Moreover, cabins now vary enormously. Business Class can be either discounted First or expensive economy. It might be worth going for Premium Economy on a really good airline (Singapore) or avoiding Business on a mediocre one, say Delta.

Which leads me to suggest that starting today you think of “economy,” “Business,” and “First” loosely, too. By all means decide which cabin you want to be in, but then ask yourself one more question: Which type of ‘Airline Service Class’ do I want to experience?

Stay with me here…

I’ve developed a layer cake of my own, one that I think clarifies rather than obscures your choices. It categorizes carriers by their inclinations—low price above all; excellent service above all; the emerging, high touch, customer-focused service above all; and the big fat belly of the airline industry: a mediocre experience at little or no discount, above all.

The virtue of my four-tier tower is that it tells you what kind of experience, not just what kind of cabin, you’re going to get for your money. I take into consideration the “airport experience” as well as “in-flight comforts,” although I give the latter more weight. (Not every airline is mentioned in the examples below, but you’ll quickly be able to categorize the ones that aren’t on your own.)

The New Airline Matrix

Discount Service Carriers (DSCs) These airlines target travelers for which price is the dominant driver—who are almost always willing to sacrifice comfort for cost savings. These carriers don’t invest heavily in loyalty programs, partnerships, or reward opportunities. Most don’t even have airport lounges. Prime Example: Southwest. DSC in disguise: Jet Blue, which skillfully packages low cost into cool. But the fact is there’s not much leg room, not much on those 50 channels of video the airline endlessly promotes, and not much depth on the bench when it comes to a crisis, like bad weather. International example: Ryan Air—it’s just Southwest with a brogue.

Mass Market Carriers (MMCs) These airlines are often confused with Premium Service Carriers because they display some of the same characteristics. For instance, their loyalty programs make them seem customer-focused, but these airlines use their programs to trap customers rather than elevate their flying experiences. In other words, it’s the miles accrued rather than the service and amenities that keep you coming back—even though these carriers tend to over-promise and under-deliver on loyalty programs. Seat quality can vary significantly with MMCs, reclining only 156 degrees on one type of aircraft and 170 degrees on another (like Continental). Prime example: Almost every American carrier (see right). The new all-Business Class start-up MAXjet clearly falls into this category, too, as it’s all about the fares, even though it does okay on other points.

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The eight points that make up my ranking system:

• Cabin(s) offered
 
• Basic seat specifications
 
• Bonus seat features such as extra shoulder width
 
• Seat consistency
 
• Seat age
 
• In-flight entertainment quality
 
• Airport service quality
 
• Bonus airport services such as personal escort through security

Rankings are relative, meaning one airline’s Business Class is compared against the Business Class field. In other words, I’m grading on the curve.

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Premium Service Carriers (PSCs) This bird is easy to spot. It eschews the loyalty-program gimmicks in favor of exceptional service and real flying comforts: new seats every five years or so; top-quality airport lounges; and often, premium passenger amenities, such as dedicated phone centers. Even coach can be considered classy, relatively speaking, on some PSCs. Customers go out of their way, and often pay a premium, for the experience. Prime examples (and arch competitors) are British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. BA has offered a fourth cabin (Premium Economy) for years, revolutionized Business Class in 2000, and has a true First Class product. Virgin Atlantic leads PSCs across the Atlantic because of its Five Star Business Class seats.

Air France could have done a much better job with its relatively new Business Class revamp (the seats are too steep when reclined), but First Class is tres bon. Another all-Business Class start-up, Silverjet, just gets through the PSC door. While its seats could be a little softer and recline another eight degrees to 180, its ground experience is all about you—of growing importance to the elite traveler. Iberia is one of the newest entrants into PSC category, with a fast rollout of new lie-flat seats in Business Class. (By the way, this carrier offers some of the best fares to Europe, which isn’t an official Service Criteria Point, but you have to love that just the same.)

Elite Service Carriers (ESCs) These are the airlines truly dedicated to First and/or Business Class travelers. Sustained (and lately created) by market demand, a strong economy, and a smaller world, ESCs are neither about price nor loyalty programs. They’re about service. Singapore Airlines and Eos lead the category. Singapore’s new Business Class seat, an amazing 30 inches wide, is sheer comfort (it leaves little reason to fly First). Eos, the third new all-Business Class carrier, distinguishes itself from its brethren with exclusive, high-touch service that makes you feel like a VIP, curb to curb—the essence of an ESC. I’m not saying these two are perfect—no airline is. But they are stellar performers.

Working the New System

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Singapore’s New A380 First Class Suite

It was unveiled in Toulouse when Singapore took delivery of its first A380, which is outfitted with 12 of them. Actually the carrier claims that the suites are beyond First Class, which is true in at least one respect: They cost 20-25% more than First Class. The enclosed room is outfitted with a seat and a separate 27-inch by 78-inch stand-alone flat bed that is made up by the cabin staff. The duvet and cushions are by Givenchy, and the 23-inch wide LCD is positioned so that it can be easily watched in bed. As for the seat, it is 39 inches wide with the armrest folded away and reclines to 130 degrees. The suite also contains a chaise lounge, an adjustable table, and USB ports. The A380, the first of 19, went into service on the Singapore-Sydney route in late October, with Singapore-Heathrow to follow next year. It also has 60 Business Class seats on the upper deck. A Singapore Airlines spokesperson said the new suites are “to First Class what Premium Economy is to standard coach.”

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1. Rethink your ‘loyalty’ program. Focus on the real benefits. Rather than complain about not being able to use your miles or the dearth of elite domestic upgrades (especially for bottom-tier elite members), just opt out. Give your loyalty to a carrier offering better service. Let go.
 
2. Or, submit to reality. Which means you’re flying an MMC for back-end ‘perks’ or ‘awards,’ which the airline will dictate when you can use. Resign yourself to the fact that double-mileage (anytime) awards are about the only sure way you’re going to score a mileage award (minus Delta, now).
 
3. Use MMC’s PSC partners. Okay, earn miles in American’s AAdvantage Program if you must—but remember that you can redeem them for travel on its PSC partners: Cathay Pacific or Iberia. Of course, earn miles using credit cards that allow you to transfer them into any carrier you wish.
 
4. Stay up with the latest products, services, and seat discrepancies. Realizing what top-tier carriers are doing will help you get courage enough to jump ship. Forget the MMCs if you can—their service levels are stagnant. If you must use an MMC, learn which routes have the best seats. Don’t assume anything with an MMC.
 
5. PSCs Premium Economy vs. MMCs Business Class Delta’s Business Class to Europe is narrow. Only 18.5 inches wide, while Virgin’s new Premium Economy is 21 inches wide. So, if I were on a day flight from Europe back to the US and wanted to work rather than sleep, I’d go with the wider seat, and spend up to 80% less. Likewise, I’d not want to pay 300%+ more for United or American’s Business Class seat over Singapore’s Executive Economy. If cost is the driver, Premium Economy on a PSC can be a reasonable alternative.
 
6. MMC Business Class vs. PSC Economy Class With few exceptions, always go for an MMC Business Class seat over a PSC economy one, if in-flight comfort is the priority—especially if you’re paying with miles or get a great fare. At times, MMCs can be a value.
 
7. MMC First Class vs. PSC Business Class. This is where it gets tricky, and you must go on a case-by-case basis. In the case of Singapore’s new Business Class versus American’s First, I’d go with the former, if only because it costs a lot less, for arguably comparable service.